Geodynamic Evolution of the Eastern Segment of the Azores-Gibraltar Zone: The Gorringe Bank and the Gulf of Cadiz Region

Detailed structural interpretation of the recently acquired deep seismic multichannel profiles along the Iberian Atlantic Margins (IAM Project) provides new results on the geodynamic evolution of the eastern part of the Azores-Gibraltar plate boundary. Thrusting and folding of the oceanic basement and of Mesozoic and Cenozoic sedimentary cover of the Gorringe Bank region are consistent with the N–S convergence of Iberia and Africa. Compressive structures in the Gorringe Bank region are spread over a wide area. Deformation under compression took place mainly in Tertiary times, as is evidenced by a basal unconformity and several discontinuities in Tertiary sediments, although some deformation has also been recorded in Quaternary sediments. The compressive structures in the Gulf of Cadiz are E–W oriented thrusts, folds and related diapiric structures. N–S oriented transpressive deformation is likely to occur in the western Portuguese platform. There is no continuity of structures from the oceanic to the continental domain, suggesting that deformation transfers from one side to the other through a transcurrent fault zone. The fault contact between the two domains is located in the ocean-continent transition zone.     

自行式海底作业车的研究

理论分析和试验研究是本文写作基础，它详细地总结了大洋多金属结核资源开发而研究自行式海底作业车取得中期成果，它对我国大洋采矿和其它海底工程车辆的发展有着重要的文献价值和指导意义。     

四川汶川大地震的构造分析

2008年5月12日在汶川映秀(北纬31.0°,东经103.4°)发生8级大地震,而后发生万余次余震,其最大震级为6.4级.此次地震属主震-余震型地震.通过构造分析认为.汶川大地震是构造地震,主要受龙门山断裂带的强烈活动控制.它是一种板内地震,其动力来源来自印度板块与欧亚板块的碰撞.而成都平原处于稳定地块中,尽管离震中较近,然受地震的影响有限,是比较安全的.     

岩石圈中热压系数的计算

中国中西部地区发育众多前陆冲断带,它们具有构造变形复杂、油气潜力大和有别于经典前陆盆地的沉积和油气地质特征,但其成因过程和动力学并不清楚。文中利用中西部盆地区的地温、岩石热物性参数和地热学模拟技术,分析该区岩石圈热状态和流变学特征,进一步结合其他地质、地球物理资料,揭示盆地区的深部构造特征和岩石圈性质。研究表明,中西部各主要盆地的岩石圈具有厚度大、强度高、地温低等热-流变学特征,表现为刚硬块体;而其周缘和造山带区却表现为温度高、强度低和厚度小等特征,是构造变形的易发区。在此基础上讨论了岩石圈性质和变形过程等深部构造对前陆盆地成因演化的控制作用,进而初步归纳这类陆内再生前陆盆地的成因演化机制:发育于小型克拉通块体的边缘,其就位受控于岩石圈热-流变学非均质性和构造继承性,其动力来源是新生代印度-欧亚大陆碰撞及其持续的挤压作用。上述研究为探讨中国中西部地区的前陆盆地成因机制提供了深部资料和岩石圈热-流变学约束。     

High heat flow anomalies on an old oceanic plate observed seaward of the Japan Trench

Thirty-three new measurements on the seaward slope and outer rise of the Japan Trench along a parallel of 38°45′N revealed the existence of high heat flow anomalies on the subducting Pacific plate, where the seafloor age is about 135 m.y.. The most prominent anomaly with the highest value of 114 mW/m² is associated with a small mound on the outer rise, which was reported to be a kind of mud volcano. On the seaward slope of the trench, heat flow is variable: high (70–90 mW/m²) at some locations and normal for the seafloor age (about 50 mW/m²) at others. The spatial variation of heat flow may be related to development of normal faults and horst/graben structures due to bending of the Pacific plate before subduction, with fluid flow along the fault zones enhancing the vertical heat transfer. Possible heat sources of the high heat flow anomalies are intra-plate volcanism in the last several million years like that discovered recently on the Pacific plate east of the Japan Trench.     

大陆岩石圈对扩张机制的响应—辽蒙地质走廊中—新生代火山活动的时空分布

选择辽西为中心,以近东西向延伸800km的辽蒙地质走廊为研究区,通过年代学研究,确认130Ma以来的中、新生代火山活动对称分布的时空格局,具有“中间老、两侧新”的特点,而且随着时间的推移,软流圈来源的岩浆向东西两侧侧向流动,岩浆来源不断加深。在此基础上提出“软流圈底辟体上涌和水平侧向流动”的模式。     

华北克拉通东部早白垩世伸展盆地的发育过程及其对克拉通的破坏

在晚侏罗世华北克拉通东部破坏之初出现了区域性隆起,全区缺失上侏罗统沉积。在早白垩世早期,出现了区域性的伸展活动,断陷盆地形成,克拉通南、北缘伸展活动最强,北部燕山构造带以出现变质核杂岩为特征,南部出现宽裂谷型盆地。早白垩世中期华北克拉通东部普遍出现了火山活动与岩浆侵入。早白垩世晚期克拉通上以出现窄裂谷型盆地为特征,沿北北东走向的郯庐断裂带断陷活动最强。这些断陷盆地的演化过程揭示,经历地表抬升后,克拉通破坏之初的岩石圈热而弱,从而形成变质核杂岩或宽裂谷型盆地。这期间的破坏强度在空间上具有不均匀分布的特征,受控于早期岩石圈地幔的结构。经过早白垩世中期的大量岩浆活动之后,早白垩世晚期克拉通岩石圈温度降低、强度变大,从而利用早期大型断裂构造形成窄裂谷型盆地。这现象支持华北克拉通东部晚中生代的岩石圈减薄是以逐渐拆沉机制为主。     

船式支护在基坑中的应用

在深厚软土地区的基坑,对基坑底软土进行搅拌加固形成强度较高的底板而保证坑底稳定,侧壁采用支护桩支护保证侧壁的稳定使其不倾倒,支护桩与加固底板两者共同作用形成的船状结构支护体系类似轮船的船侧壁及船底板,以保证基坑的稳定。结合具体的工程实例,介绍了船式支护的侧壁及底板的设计方法。工程案例成功实施,监测结果表明,船式支护既可避免支护桩嵌固深度过长,又利于软土的土方施工及工程桩的保护,是安全可靠的,对类似工程有一定的参考意义。     

Mantle plumes from top to bottom

Hotspots include midplate features like Hawaii and on-axis features like Iceland. Mantle plumes are a well-posed hypothesis for their formation. Starting plume heads provide an explanation of brief episodes of flood basalts, mafic intrusions, and radial dike swarms. Yet the essence of the hypothesis hides deep in the mantle. Tests independent of surface geology and geochemistry to date have been at best tantalizing. It is productive to bare the current ignorance, rather than to dump the plume hypothesis. One finds potentially fruitful lines of inquiry using simple dynamics and observations. Ancient lithospheric xenoliths may reveal heating by plumes and subsequent thermal equilibration in the past. The effect at the base of the chemical layer is modest 50-100 K for transient heating by plume heads. Thinning of nonbuoyant platform lithosphere is readily observed but not directly attributable to plumes. The plume history in Antarctica is ill constrained because of poor geological exposure. This locality provides a worst case on what is known about surface evidence of hotspots. Direct detection of plume tail conduits in the mid-mantle is now at the edge of seismic resolution. Seismology does not provide adequate resolution of the deep mantle. We do not know the extent of a chemically dense dregs layer or whether superplume regions are cooler or hotter than an adiabat in equilibrium with the asthenosphere. Overall, mid-mantle seismology is most likely to give definitive results as plume conduits are the guts of the dynamic hypothesis. Finding them would bring unresolved deep and shallow processes into place.     

Seismic activity associated with the subducting motion of the Philippine Sea plate beneath the Kanto district, Japan

The Pacific plate and the Philippine Sea plate overlap and subduct underneath the Kanto region, central Japan, causing complex seismic activities in the upper mantle. In this research, we used a map selection tool with a graphic display to create a data set for earthquakes caused by the subducting motion of the Philippine Sea plate that are easily determined. As a result, we determined that there are at least four earthquake groups present in the upper mantle above the Pacific plate. Major seismic activity (Group 1) has been observed throughout the Kanto region and is considered to originate in the uppermost part of mantle in the subducted Philippine Sea plate, judging from the formation of the focal region and comparison with the 3D structure of seismic velocity. The focal mechanism of these earthquakes is characterized by the down-dip compression. A second earthquake layer characterized by down-dip extension (Group 2), below the earthquakes in this group, is also noted. The focal region for those earthquakes is considered to be located at the lower part of the slab mantle, and the Pacific plate located directly below is considered to influence the activity. Earthquakes located at the shallowest part (Group 3) form a few clusters distributed directly above the Group 1 focal region. Judging from the characteristics of later phases in these earthquakes and comparing against the 3D structure of seismic velocity, the focal regions for the earthquakes are considered to be located near the upper surface of the slab. Another earthquake group (Group 4) originates further below Group 2; it is difficult to consider these earthquakes within a single slab. The seismic activities representing the upper area of the Philippine Sea plate are Group 3. This paper proposes a slab geometry model that is substantially different from conventional models by strictly differentiating the groups.